Teams: Baseball: Schedule & Results

TUFTS CLOSES REGULAR SEASON WITH SPLIT AGAINST BABSON

COLLEGE BASEBALL FINAL SCORES
Game 1 �    Tufts 11    Babson 9
Game 2 �    Babson 8    Tufts 3

At Medford, MA
Sunday, May 6, 2007

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

Playing in the last home game of his career on Seniors' Day, Ben Simon singled up the middle in the first at bat of his career in the seventh inning of the second game against Babson

MEDFORD -- Freshman DH Corey Pontes (Milton, MA) led host Tufts University to a slugfest win in the first game, while visiting Babson College got on the scoreboard early and often while receiving a strong start from junior Sam Whelan (Milton, MA) in the nightcap, as the Jumbos and Beavers split a college baseball double-header at Huskins Field on Sunday afternoon. Tufts won the first game 11-9, and Babson won the second 8-3.

Pontes and sophomore 3B Kevin Casey (Milford, MA) both hit two-run home runs in the bottom of the first in game one to give Tufts a 4-1 lead. Babson senior shortstop Billy Schmitt (Fairview, NJ) also went deep in the top of the second to close the gap to 4-3. The teams kept slugging it out, with Pontes singling home one of two Jumbo runs in the third, and a five-run Babson fourth inning powered by a two-run single from sophomore LF Bryan Evans (Bellaire, TX). Pontes had another RBI single in the bottom of the fourth and the game was tied at 8-8.

Tufts kept scoring, adding two more runs in the fifth and another in the sixth. Jumbo pitchers David Gibbs (Harrison, NY) and Jason Protano (Milford, MA) kept the Beavers at bay, allowing only one run over the final three innings. Pontes finished 3 for 3 with four RBIs and two runs, while senior 1B Bryan McDavitt (Holden, MA) was 3 for 4 with two runs and an RBI. Tufts was out-hit 18-11 by Babson, with sophomore DH Jeff Wojnar (Bellaire, TX), freshman CF Peter O'Toole (Salem, MA) and Schmitt (3 RBIs) finishing with three hits apiece.

Game two started in the same fashion on the Babson side. They roughed up Tufts starter Derek Rice (Braintree, MA), who didn't get an out in the second and allowed six runs. O'Toole hit a two-run single in the first and Wojnar drove home a run and scored a run in a five-run second inning that gave the Beavers an 8-1 lead. Meanwhile, Whelan was mowing through the Jumbos, allowing just two hits in the second through sixth innings. He got the first two outs in the seventh on strikeouts, but couldn't finish the game. After back-to-back singles and a hit batter, Casey hit a two-run single, at which time Dave Ahern (Bedford, MA) was called from the bullpen to get the last out.

O'Toole had three RBIs, while two hits apiece came of the Babson bats of Wojnar and freshman 3B Jake Bartlett (Weymouth, MA). Whelan improved to 7-2 overall and finished with 10 strikeouts. Pontes capped a good day at the plate with two hits in the nightcap, while sophomore CF Dave Katzman (North Andover, MA) went 2 for 3. Tufts used six pitchers in the game, with only freshman Jordan Goldberg (Westborough, MA) going more than one inning.

With eight seniors playing in their final home game on Seniors' Day at Tufts, head coach John Casey sent Ben Simon (Providence, RI) up to bat for the first time of his career in the seventh inning. A senior pitcher who has been out all season with an injury, Simon singled up the middle and scored one of the team's two runs in the seventh.

With the split, Tufts is now 23-10 and Babson is 25-14. The Jumbos play in the NESCAC Tournament at Williams next weekend. Babson awaits a possible at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament, or an ECAC Tournament berth.

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